My racing partner and I are tralking about trying to form a group/class of "Traditional" Gasser cars together to run heads up. Index racing is fun, but heads up would great. We're not looking to reinvent the "Gasser Wars" or bring back AA/GS. We were thinking of some basic rules like cubic inch to weight, no supercharging, no tube chassis, and the cars should fit into the "spirit" of the gasser. Not looking for super gas,super street or pro mod type cars. We're looking at ets around the low 10s to keep things sane. Nose up traditional cars. Our idea was to run this within the context of another group, such as ANRA or West Coast Hot Rod at Bakersfield and other So Cal tracks. Thoughts
Thanks but the whole idea is to stay away from things getting out of hand. There's always AA/GS to go race. We're thinking about little guy heads up.
What cutoff date for your rule book? Traditional like in pre '64? What fuel, gas or alcohol? Not slamming you just questions that you might want to ask yourself.
Gotcha. We (Gas House Gang) have been trying to devise a way to run heads up matches but it tough to do. We run alot of index and .....(gulp)...bracket too. I think I'm going to seek out best 2 out of 3 match races to satisfy my heads up bug. I agree it's the most fun.....so long as your the fastest! Hahaha! Good luck man! I sure hope you figure out a way to do it because you would make a lot of guys real happy.
We run heads up at the HAMB Drags. It is an outlaw track. I don't think that there are many if any at all out tracks in calif, but perhaps an old airstrip would suffice.
Most of us have ran that event, but it's really not what I would call a race. It's a fun party though. Without a gazillion rules you are going to find it very difficult to run a heads up event with any level of fairness.
Yea but you could use the same concept in a more serious racing event. If you have a group of racers that are interested in really racing you can procure a track or tracks for a season and have races dedicated to racing with your own rule book. Say your racing association or club if you prefer can get the track for a weekend and it can be gassers only. Or if you work with several tracks you can actually have a season. Maybe race on thursday night instead of the weekends and have a final round one weekend to wrap up your season. For instance gassers only, heads up racing only. A lot of the smaller privately owned tracks will welcome you to do just that. The same track that we race on for the drags for instance has outlaw altereds in a couple of times a year. They are pretty damned serious about their racing. Just something to think about. You may have to be more creative than the rest of society to get around the rules.
I love the idea but it's so hard to actually do. We have many "gassers" in the club (using that one loosely) but there is as much as a 4 second difference in 1/4 times between these cars. Believe me I love to run heads up but its a challenge to do. We discussed weight/cubic inch but then you need to be able to check out actuall weight and displacement at the track. That can get real ugly too. I'm for it just don't know how to do it. One thing for sure though...the $$$ car is going to win nearly every time
Speed and the almighty dollar have run hand in hand as long as I can remember. There was a time when if you thought was running over the displacement limit for a class you layed out the buck for the fella to pull a head. They called it protest money. Now they just measure the swept volumn of a cylinder. Most tracks that you would actually want to pull your car out on have the tool. It just screws into the sparkplug hole like a compression tester and you turn the engine over. If there is as much as 4 seconds difference in a given class it is one of 2 things, either one guy has no business on the track or the other fella is not conforming to the rules.
Well we have alot of "gassers" in the group. Everything from 13 second cars to how fast do you wanna go. That's extreme I know but even if there is only a 0.50 difference in ET you are looking at a pretty good ass woopin. Big difference in a 11 second car and a 10.50 car.
Sorry I wasn't paying attention Beaner. You said within CLASSES and I was still in one big gasser class mode. Should be working and not texting. Hahaha!
Actually I should be in the garage myself. I have to get something done this afternoon. You are correct lots of difference between 11 second cars and 10 second cars. One is like a Sunday drive and the other you have to drive. When I was in high school I was racing a 12 second car (stock class unless someone complained ) An older fella that pitted with knew a guy with a 9 second car that was out to the track for test and tune. I got a ride in it. I was probably in and out of it half a dozen times, then the owner took me for a ride. Both passes were a rush. My 12 second car you just got in and went as fast as you could toward the big end. The 9 second car you had to fight every step if the way. It was like it really wanted to go but it just didn't want you to tell it how to go. Well we have sucessfully rail roaded gasser 1961's thread. Sorry friend, good luck with the new/old race class. Whatever you do I seriously hope it is successful for you.
I think if you want to get a big turn out, then some easy weight/displacement rules are the way to go. Don't outlaw the chassis cars, as long as they are Gasser spirit and not Pro mod or what ever. A good heads up type set up would be a perfect lace for my car, but it is a former National Record Holder in B/GAS and is a chassis car - same one that been under it since the 60's. I think the basic rules from late 60's worked pretty well. You are always going to have some guys bitch, cuz their car falls at the tail end of each class break, but then they can add a little weight and bump down a class. If you don't want the really fast AA/GS type of cars (and I don't see why not, they only would run against each other and they draw the crowd) then just put a minimum weight per engine size (with Supercharged cars bumping up) for your fastest class that would make them ineligible.
Don That falling at the tail end of a class is all part of building your car. When you are in the build stages you have to take class into consideration. I am probably way off base here but I would think it would be easier if you were racing in a venue that the rules were not a moving target like they are when you are trying to keep up with a sanctioning body like the NHRA or the AHRA. I thnk that the only problem with chassis cars is that it has the opportunity to become a "nostalgia" race venue. Face it a funny car chassis with a plastic T-ish body stuck on it isn't anymore an old school race car than my mom's old 98 merc. I think that a car like yours would be a shoe in for the type of racing that fellas are trying to do. It is a real historic race car. I would think that they would welcome a car like yours. even if all you did was make exibition passes you would be showing everyone how it was actually done. It should be a real crowd pleaser.
We have something in England called the Gasser Circus, the rules were mainly the same as you wish yours to be but unfortunately we already have AFX & Altered cars running, I'm not sure the organisers know the criteria for a Gasser
All good ideas. We thought if we could get 6 to 8 cars to start off with that would be a good starting point. The cut off year would have to be flexible in order to field a group. Our feelings were mid 60s style rules, but once again we wanted to live up to the spirit of the Gasser. Race gas would be preferable, but we don't want to eliminate a guy with the right car just because he runs on alcohol. I also like the idea of 60s chassis cars running. We're trying to avoid newer style cars. Once you open a class up to AA-GS style then it gets out of hand. They have there own place to race. We're not worried about drawing a crowd we just want to run heads up.
I would hope so, but I wouldn't be intersted in "Exibition" runs, I want to race damn it and hell, it's only a low 9 car as it sits.
well low nines thats just a glorified grocery getter. I wonder if my old heart would still stand up to a 9 second pass. It sounds like gasser 1961 has a pretty good handle on what he wants to do. It would be work and need a little teething time but it sounds doable. Oh look I think he's going to let you come over and play.
It just a little Ol Big Block Chevy with Hilborn's and a Rock Crusher tranny. It was faster when we ran the automatic, but it was originally a gear car, so it's a gear car again. A lot scarier and not as consistent, but that's the way it was. I can easily step it into the 8's and even the high 7's, but here's the problem - at 90" of wheelbase it is pretty unstable over 150 and I REFUSE to put any wings or crap on it, or lengthen it. It's too important of a car historically and I would be really PISSED if I wadded it. Hell, the car was a LOT MORE consistent (and just as fast) with a small block in it back in the day because it wouldn't blow the tire off on the gear change! Whatcha got? (other than no fenders or hood)
maybe I could talk my dad into running his 51 chevy gasser. he is in Central Cal.. but I have been trying to get him to run it for 2 yrs with no luck..
Hell I got no fenders or hood but my tennis are nearly wore out. I could run in my boots but you'd have to spot me at least two lengths. I ran a 49.9 once in high school but it was on cinders. Hell it ain't my car and I would be pissed if you wadded it.
Not sure currently. With the small block and no one in it, it was 1780. The big block's about 100 lbs heavier. Plus the Cragar's are heavier than when it was last weighed.
I don't see this as a money making enterprise for anyone. Just a way for real gassers do line up and run them. That's why we want to stay away the supercharged deal. Look at the A/G class in ANRA or the NHRA Hairitage, lots of pro mod style cars and $30,000 BAE engines. We're trying to be sane about this. If we could get 6 to 8 cars to run we think we could build a cool deal out of it.
you can "rule" yourself out of players, for good info contact dragrcr50 here on the HAMB, he ran the Central State Gassers Assoc. for several years and well he just knows...
The Jalopy Journal
